Many major carriers in the United States (US) and several worldwide carriers are converting or have already converted their networks to conforming 3rd Generation Partnership Program (3GPP) access networks, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. As the term is used herein, a conforming 3GPP access network is a network having elements (both infrastructure and subscriber elements) whose operation conform with a suite of 3GPP Technical Specifications (TSs), with the most recent versions of the 3GPP TSs being published in June 2010 as a revised “Release 9” and in September 2010 as “Release 10”.
Conforming 3GPP access networks are further defined or characterized by network elements that make up an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), which provides for a flat IP-based network architecture designed to ensure support for, and mobility between, some legacy or non-3GPP systems such as, for instance, GPRS (general packet radio service) and WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). Some of the main advantages of the EPC architecture are high throughput, low latency, plug and play, FDD (frequency-division duplexing) and TDD (time-division duplexing) in the same platform, improved end user experience, simple architecture resulting in low operating costs, and interoperability with older standard wireless technologies such as GSM (Global Systems for Mobile Communications), cdmaOne™, W-CDMA (UMTS), and CDMA2000®.
When data packets are sent end-to-end between, for instance, a sending application function and a receiving application function client over the conforming 3GPP access network, one of the functions of the EPC (and the subscriber device) is to map the data packets to a service data flow (i.e., service data flow detection) and, thereby, to map the packets to a bearer having desired Quality of Service (QoS) attributes to transport the packets over a wireless over-the-air interface. A problem arises however, when the network also includes a packet modification function in the communication path of the data packets. The packet modification function disrupts this service data flow detection process and, thereby, prevents the selection of the appropriate bearer for sending the packets.
Thus, there exists a need for a technique for service data flow detection in a conforming 3GPP access network having a packet modification function.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of various embodiments. In addition, the description and drawings do not necessarily require the order illustrated. It will be further appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. Apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the various embodiments so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Thus, it will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, common and well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment may not be depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments.